A dairy farm's breeding and semen choices impact dairy herd inventory three years down the road. It is complex to consider the consequences, tradeoffs, and dynamics of those choices, and it is costly to wind up with too few replacements to keep the dairy herd full with the most productive cows. The most appropriate semen allocation strategy is unique to each individual herd and tools such as this spreadsheet can help develop customized plans based on herd data rather than relying on guesswork or industry averages.

The spreadsheet calculates the semen allocation (sexed and beef semen) in a lactating herd that will cover anticipated replacement needs with sexed semen, and then compares the net present value per straw of semen between sexed and beef semen for additional inseminations to identify the suggested semen allocation for the herd, considering tradeoffs between costs and revenues related to beef on dairy calves and raising additional replacements, including downstream impacts on herd productivity.